Executive Recruitment
Recruitment as a Service
You focus on leading your team. We run the recruitment, your way.
Kingston Human Capital manages your recruitment project from start to finish, using your organisation’s policies, templates, procedures and reporting requirements.
You keep every decision that matters. We take care of the screening, coordination, panel support, scribing, reporting and candidate communication that consume your time.
The Cost of Getting Executive Recruitment Wrong
A senior appointment impacts more than the role. It shapes performance, confidence and continuity.
Strategic Delay
Lost opportunities and slower progress.
Leadership Disruption
Reduced productivity and team uncertainty.
Stakeholder Uncertainty
Loss of uncertainty across leadership and teams.

Executive Hiring Guide
A practical guide to planning, attracting and approaching exceptional executive leaders.
✓ Clarify your leadership brief
✓ Reduce hiring risk
✓ Strengthen stakeholder alignment
✓ Access hidden executive talent
Industries & Sectors We Support
We partner with leading organisations across a broad range of industries.
Government & Public Sector
Health & Community
Education
Not for Profit
Commercial & Corporate
Professional Services
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Position/Title
Organisation
The 7 Decisions To Make Before Going To Market
Business outcome required
Define the impact the leader must deliver.
Leadership capabilities
Identify the must-have capabilities for success.
Stakeholder expectations
Understand who needs confidence in the appointment.
Remuneration & market positioning
Position the role competitively in the talent market.
Confidentiality requirements
Determine the level of sensitivity and discretion
Diversity & inclusion priorities
Set clear expectations to build stronger, diverse leadership.
Assessment & appointment criteria
Establish how you will assess and select the right leader.
KHC's Executive Search Process
Discovery & Stakeholder Brief
We listen, align on strategy and define success criteria.
Role & Success Profiling
We define mandate capabilities and measures of success.
Market Mapping
We map the landscape and identify relevant active and passive talent pools.
Targeted Search & Engagement
We use customised and algorithmic search to reach hidden talent.
Assessment & Shortlist
Rigorous assessment to build a high-quality shortlist.
Appointment Support
We support negotiations and stakeholder alignment.
Guarantee & Follow-up
We stand by our placements with a clear guarantee.
Meet Your Recruitment Expert

Gerard Kerr
General Manager Executive Search & Selection and Co-Founder
Gerard has over 20 years of recruitment experience and a deep understanding of managing complex search and selection processes across a wide range of industries.
Gerard is an owner of the business. His business pride is on the line for your recruitment needs.
Owner of the Business Working For You
We are no the cheapest, but we are committed to delivering the best value for your investments.
Outstanding Value For Money
We place the right leaders who make a long-lasting impact on your business.
Placements That Matter
Your warranty for confidence in every executive appointment.
Recruitment Guarantee
Over 20 years of industry experience on a fully-qualified career professional.
Highly Experienced Career Recruiters
Full Focus
We are a specialised team dedicated to a number of high-quality placements that get our best attention.
Our Executive Search Methodology
✓ Active candidates from our talent networks
✓ Passive leaders open to the right opportunity
✓ Hidden talent communities and introductions
✓ Algorithmic search capability
✓
Talent mapping & market intelligence
How We Access Executive Talent
Reducing Risk in Executive Appointments
⚠ Misalignment between role and strategy
⚠ Weak stakeholder briefing
⚠ Over-reliance on known networks
⚠ Poor candidate experience
⚠ Unclear assessment criteria
⚠ Slow decision-making
Proof & Credibility
134 consecutive weeks of continued employment
20+ years of executive recruitment expertise
100% guarantee and confidence in every appointment
97% placements still in place after three years
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Position/Title
Organisation
What Type Of Executive Role Are You Hiring?
Select the role that best matches your search to explore how KHC can help.
Chief Procurement Officer
Chief Information Officer
Chief Technology Officer
Director Appointments and Other Public Sector Specialists
Executive Recruitment Case Studies

Appointing a Strategic Leader for the Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism
Read MoreAppointing Independent Audit and Risk Committee Members for the Department of Transport and Main Roads
Read MoreRecruiting a Chief Human Resources Officer for the Department of Housing and Public Works
Read MoreHiring a Director of Marketing & Communications for QMF
Read moreCase Study: Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy
Read moreRecruiting Screen Queensland's Chief Executive Officer
Read moreRecruiting the next Executive Director for the Department of Environment and Science
Read MoreFinding a Visionary Leader for Queensland Music Festival
Read MoreRecruiting a Media and PR Advisor for Container Exchange
Read MoreContainer Exchange Recruiting a Communications Manager
Read MoreRecruiting an Outstanding Human Resources Lead for Cooper Fluid Systems
Read MoreHiring An 'Infrastructure Planning Finance Specialist' for Economic Development Queensland
Read MoreExecutive Recruitment FAQs
What parts of the executive recruitment process can Kingston Human Capital manage?
Full Executive Recruitment
Kingston Human Capital can manage the full executive recruitment process or support selected stages where your internal team needs additional capacity, executive search capability, project coordination or specialist recruitment expertise.
Our executive recruitment support can include refining the role brief, developing the attraction strategy, writing and placing advertisements, executive search, market mapping, longlisting, shortlisting, interview coordination, panel support, scribing, reference checks, selection report writing and offer management. We design the service around your organisation’s internal capability, governance requirements, stakeholder needs and timeline.
Most clients ask us to manage the entire executive recruitment process, but we can also step in where your team needs extra capacity, independent process support or deeper access to the executive candidate market.
Why choose Kingston Human Capital for executive search in Queensland?
Targeted and hands-on recruitment
Kingston Human Capital combines targeted executive search with practical hands-on recruitment project support, which is especially useful for senior, sensitive or complex appointments.
We are particularly experienced in government and complex recruitment environments where stakeholder alignment, evidence-based assessment and defensible documentation matter.
We support organisations that need more than advertising and application processing. We invest the time to understand what success looks like, search beyond the visible market and approach executives who may not actively apply. We can then support every stage through to an accepted offer, giving you one accountable partner and a process shaped around your organisation.
What types of executive roles and organisations does Kingston Human Capital support?
Senior public sector and commercial leaders
Kingston Human Capital recruits senior leaders for government, public sector and commercial organisations across Queensland and Australia.
Executive searches may include chief executives, directors, senior public sector leaders and senior specialists. We are best suited to organisations that need a carefully managed search, access to passive talent, practical support beyond candidate sourcing, and a recruitment partner that can work with governance, confidentiality and stakeholder requirements.
If a role sits outside our strongest networks or expertise, we will be clear before accepting the assignment. This helps protect the quality of the search and ensures your organisation receives advice that is honest, practical and aligned with the leadership appointment you need to make.
What can an executive search firm do that an internal recruitment team may not have capacity to do?
Structured executive search
Your internal team knows your organisation. An executive search partner brings dedicated search capacity, external market reach and the time required to identify senior leaders who may not respond to advertising alone.
Kingston Human Capital researches the market, maps comparable organisations and approaches potential executive candidates directly and confidentially. These are often leaders who are not actively looking, will not apply through a public advertisement and need a credible, well-managed conversation before considering a move.
We also manage the recruitment project around the search, so your internal team can keep leading the organisation while the search, candidate engagement, shortlist development, assessment support and documentation are progressed with structure and focus.
Who will personally lead our executive search?
Executive Team Members: Gerard Kerr, Michelle Bassett or Elizabeth Kingston
Your search will be led by our Executive Team members; Geard Kerr, Michelle Bassett or Elizabeth Kingston, our executive search team possess years of experience across the Australian market. They are your key point of contact and will personally lead the briefing, stakeholder conversations, search strategy, candidate assessment and key client updates, reporting and outcome delivery. They will be supported by a dedicated search delivery team.
Before engagement, we will explain who is representing your organisation in the market, who is accountable for delivery, who will manage key client updates and who to contact throughout the search. This gives you clarity about the people leading the briefing, stakeholder conversations, search strategy, candidate assessment, reporting and outcome delivery.
How is the cost of an executive search calculated?
Executive Search Pricing Model
The cost of an executive search can be structured as a percentage of the successful candidate’s salary package or as an agreed fixed fee for the complete project.
The right pricing model depends on the seniority and complexity of the appointment, the breadth of the search, the candidate market, and how much of the process Kingston Human Capital is managing. If the engagement is through a Standing Offer Arrangement or preferred supplier agreement, pricing should follow the terms of that agreement.
Before work begins, you should receive a clear proposal outlining the fee, inclusions, project stages and any additional costs. The aim is to make the commercial model clear before the search begins, so there is no ambiguity about what you are paying for or what will be delivered.
What happens during an executive recruitment process?
Our Executive Recruitment Process
A Kingston Human Capital you can expect structure, clarity and regular communication. Our executive recruitment process starts with a detailed briefing to clarify the leader required, the outcomes they must deliver, the stakeholders who need confidence in the appointment and the environment the leader will be working in. We then agree on a project plan, responsibilities and realistic timeline.
Depending on the engagement, the process can include advertisement advice, market mapping, targeted executive search, longlisting, assessed shortlisting, interviews, panel support, scribing, selection reporting, reference checks and offer management.
Throughout the process, clients receive updates on market response, progress, emerging risks and decisions required. If remuneration, candidate availability or stakeholder delays affect the search, we raise those issues early so they can be managed before they compromise the outcome.
Most executive recruitment processes are completed within approximately six weeks, including two weeks for advertising, where the role, market conditions, candidate availability and client approvals support that timeframe.
How do you find executives who will not apply for advertised roles?
Our Executive Market Expertise
Kingston Human Capital does not rely only on advertising. We identify where strong potential candidates are likely to be, research the market carefully and approach suitable executives directly and confidentially through market mapping, networks, referrals and targeted search.
We represent your opportunity properly by explaining its purpose, challenges, impact and potential, so accomplished leaders have a credible reason to consider the role even if they were not actively looking.
Interested candidates are then assessed against an agreed success profile, including the outcomes, experience, capabilities and leadership approach required. This means the shortlist is based on evidence and role fit, not only on who applied, who interviewed well or who submitted the strongest application.
Can you support interview panels, scribing, selection reports and confidentiality requirements?
Full End-to-End Recruitment
Yes. In Kingston Human Capital, finding candidates is only one part of making a sound executive appointment. We can support interview question design, assessment methods, panel briefings, interview coordination, panel advisory support, accurate scribe notes, reference checks and selection report preparation.
For confidential searches, we agree on protocols before approaching the market. This may include who can know about the search, how the opportunity will be described, when the organisation’s identity can be disclosed and who can access candidate information.
Your organisation retains the decisions and approvals that must remain with you, while we provide the practical support, documentation and process discipline needed to help the appointment stand up to stakeholder scrutiny.
What happens if our preferred executive candidate declines or leaves?
Senior public sector and commercial leaders
Kingston Human Capital designs each search to produce more than one appointable candidate wherever the market allows. The aim is to help clients reach the final decision with a strong first-choice candidate and an excellent alternative, rather than relying on a single option. This changes the final conversation from “Did we find anyone?” to “Which of these strong candidates should we appoint?”
We reduce offer risk by exploring candidate motivation, expectations, remuneration, competing opportunities, notice periods and likely counteroffers early in the process. We stay close to preferred candidates, help shape the offer and manage communication through acceptance and commencement.
Any replacement commitment, including its duration and conditions, should be set out clearly in your proposal. The strongest protection is a rigorous brief, deep search, evidence-based assessment, honest candidate conversations and a carefully managed offer.
Learn More About Some Of The Executive Roles We Have Placed


We Connect People With Purpose
We know the importance of looking beyond skills and experience when it comes to executive competencies.
In the search to secure pedigree executive talent for the Governments and leading commercial organisations, we take a modern, multi-dimensional approach.
Our unique sourcing strategies are customised for every engagement and underpinned by exceptional algorithmic search capabilities. We ensure you have access to active, passive, and hidden executive talent communities.

The Companies We Work With





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